#DESPITE SKID BEING JUST AS NERVOUS

[dexter-erotoph]

[delirious-donna]

tw: narumi x reader, possessive gen, unwanted attention, drunk stranger, wet cat boy narumi, unprotected sex, cute little cat cafe date

Narumi wasn’t entirely sure what had come over him when he had volunteered to take on the extra mission, despite it being his well-earned day off. Eiji had sworn it would be a cakewalk, in and out in less than an hour, he��d said. It wasn’t even a Kaiju level threat, just some low-level grunts that he could smack around to boost his popularity. A silly mistake… 

Six hours later and he was hurriedly showering to rid himself of the ick that clung to his skin and hair like some kind of glue. He ground down on his molars as he imagined your sweet little face, sad and searching for him. It might be the middle of high summer, but his mind conjured a picture of you shivering in a cold wind at his absence. 

His clothes flew from the dresser, tugging on jeans and shirt whilst running his fingers through the mess of bi-coloured hair to bring into some semblance of artistic mess rather than looking like he’d been dragged through a hedge backwards. Narumi gave one last half-hearted glance in the mirror, damn near whining when he wasn’t quite perfect with his appearance, but the tick of his watch forced him to propel out the door despite it.  

You were due to meet outside a new cat café that had not long opened in the prefecture, a treat that he was excited to indulge you in. It was only a ten-minute walk from the gate of the base, but he was already running late. His pace quickened as he turned the corner before skidding to a halt when he saw you waiting for him outside the café. 

You really had gone all out with the cat-themed clothing, all you were missing was a tail and that thought alone might have been arousing had he not been glaring at a man invading your personal space. It was only late afternoon, but the man smelled strongly of sake. His steps were unstable, and although you presented a strong façade, Gen could sense you were terrified.  

Your hand tightened around the keys in your pocket, sliding the metal between your fingers just in case. The man was just some down on his luck drunk, not a real threat but it was better to be safe than sorry. He had spotted you whilst you waited for your boyfriend to appear and taken an immediate interest in your attire. It was only now that you decided that it might have been best to wait until you got inside to don your fluffy ears, an accessory especially picked for your favourite kitty boy. If only he knew who might appear at any moment, of the danger he would likely be in if Narumi was to see his display of unwanted attention. 

He was getting too close, with every step back you took, they matched it, and you felt a nervous whimper build in your throat when his hand reached out towards you. 

“Will you purr if I tickle you behind the ear?” he slurred, gesturing towards the cat ears sat atop your head. 

Your eyes screwed shut but the touch never landed. Instead, a cracking noise followed by a pathetic scream split the otherwise silence of the street. Peeking through your fingers, Gen stared back with an impenetrable expression on his handsome face. 

“Are you okay? I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner. No amount of good publicity was worth putting you in danger,” he whispered the last part ominously, regret evident in his striking vermillion eyes. 

Listening to your instincts, you launched into his arms, trusting him to catch you. The prolific Captain did one better, bracing your weight without giving an inch of ground, securing his arms around your body and squeezing tight. You thought he might have been smelling your hair as you laughed out your gratitude. 

“Oh, Gen… you’re my knight in shining armour!” 

Narumi downright blushed and it was adorable, the pink hue warming his cheeks and the tips of his ears looked hot beneath his bangs. For a time, he simply held you, his large palms full of the roundness of your backside and your nose nudging happily against his. At last, he cleared his throat. 

“Uh… I mean—shall we?” 

~  

The cat cafe was a complete success; however, Gen was flooded with filthy wanton thoughts and images throughout the entire session. The cats were cute as heck, but not nearly as cute as you were. He had watched you use the cat toys dotted around for customers to interact with the playful felines, thinking continually of how you might mewl and purr for him if he were to play with your— 

Oh, he was torturing himself with these ideas. Images of you stretched out on his bed in nothing but those dainty little cat ears and maybe a fun little cat tail plug? If you were for it… he wondered how he would even broach the subject, his clothes feeling hotter and more suffocating the longer he mused.  

It was a good thing that your perceptive skills were far more honed than his. It wasn’t difficult to sense the wayward direction of the Captain’s mind, sinful tendrils of energy leaking from him, without his realisation, to wrap around your limbs and caress your skin. To say you didn’t like it would be a bald-faced lie. 

And that was how you came to find yourself mewling for him in the dark of his room. The loss of your sight only heightening your other senses as your boyfriend lost himself in your tight cunt and whispered delicious fantasies against the sensitive inside of your thighs. 

His hand groped for your exposed tits, the swell of them pressed up from the tight hold of the blouse that had been opened just enough to bare you to the cool air and his earlier hungry mouth. The long languid strokes of his tongue along the length of your sopping slit were enough to make you grind against his face in earnest. 

“Such a needy little kitten. You gonna purr for me?” he smirked up at you from beneath dark lashes, silver hair messy from how harshly you had tugged and twisted on the strands. 

His crooked almost non-existent smile flashed in the dark room before he suckled your clit between his lips again, drinking in your moans like they were his lifeline. 

“Need more,” you begged, fixing your lopsided cat ears and trying valiantly to coax Narumi into fucking you dumb. Your hips rolled, practically rutting yourself against him and the lust-blown pupils spoke of how affected he was by your actions. 

Your stomach pressed against the mattress when he flipped you over without warning, hands grasping your hips to raise your ass. The blunt, fat head of his cock teased your folds before catching against your fluttering hole. 

He sank in on a low groan, making you see stars as he bottomed out in one long stroke. A hand gripped the back of your neck, pressing your cheek into the pillow. The position meant you could only just see the feral expression on your lover’s face as he hissed like an angry cat. 

“You’re mine!” 

[booksooks]

𝑸𝑼𝑰𝑬𝑻 𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑻

Author's Note: i wrote this because my sneakers got wet on the way to class yesterday

Contents: like 2 sex jokes and y/n being miserable and cold

Word Count: 1611

Summary: You're cold, and wet, and you just want to be warm. Shigaraki decides he wants to help with that.

Your feet were wet. Actually, it was only the toes on your right foot, so you couldn’t even be miserable in symmetry. This only made you more miserable, coupled with the fact that it was pissing rain, and windy, and you had only a sodden, once-fuzzy jacket to protect you from the elements that had long since stopped being useful. Honestly, you thought it would be more helpful if you took it off and held it over your head, but then you would be losing a layer of semi-warmth against the wind. 

And now your other foot was wet and cold, and you took a minute to stop, self-pitying, and look down at your own sneakered self. Just for a minute, you mourned your comfort, jeans wet around your ankles and thought about what you would give to be curled up back at home base with the one pair of fuzzy socks you own and a warm drink. Just a few more blocks, you encouraged yourself, and you’d be in the more sheltered environment of the base that Shigaraki had decided to keep the League in for now. You could only hope there weren’t holes in the roof that had gone unnoticed until now. 

With water squishing uncomfortably out your shoes, you picked up the pace and hurried the last few blocks to the abandoned shop that you had grown to call your temporary home. The back door was shoved open with relative ease, the hinges sticky and crusted with rot and rust long before your little rag-tag group of villains had commandeered. You closed the door behind you, the wood swollen with rainwater and scraping across the floor in a way that always has made your skin crawl and always will. You stood there for a moment, shivering and dripping wet and standing in an ever-growing puddle. You had heard muffled voices when you first walked in, but now it was silent in the hallway, until Toga popped her head around the corner of the main room, and saw you, lighting up. 

“You’re back!” She cheered, rushing forward to hug you only to change her mind and skid to a halt right in front of you. “You’re soaked, babes!” 

 “Yeah, I know,” you grumbled dryly. You peeled your soaked jacket off of you and dropped it where you stood, not caring if anyone would trip over it. You’d pick it up later. “It’s raining.” 

“Should have brought an umbrella!” Toga said, rather unhelpfully if you were to give your input, but she grabbed your hand anyway and dragged you into the main room. 

It was mostly empty, you noticed, with only Kurogiri working behind the bar, and Shigaraki sitting in the one leftover armchair that had been there upon arrival a few weeks ago. 

The whole building had been some sort of cozy bookshop slash coffee shop cafe thing that had been stripped bare months earlier, empty glass shelves creating a rainbow of a maze when the sun hit just right. Right now, though, they were just sad and a clear blue-grey, refracting Kurogiri as he wiped down the counter. It made you wonder if he was doing it for a lack of something else to do. 

“You’re making a mess on the floor,” Shigaraki pointed out, barely looking up from a slip of paper he was turning over in his fingers. 

“I know,” you forced out through gritted teeth, shaking one pathetically wet sweater paw. 

“Should’ve taken an umbrella.” 

“I know.” 

Toga looked between the two of you, caught up in the testy conversation involuntarily. She knew about your interesting relationship with the fearsome leader, and you doubted she wanted to get in between whatever spat the two of you were having. She looked a little nervous, and you sighed, letting your shoulders drop with the tension in the room. “I’m gonna go take a shower.” 

Nobody gave any sign of having heard you, despite the dead silence in the room. With one last glance around, you trudged upstairs, leaving a trail of water on each step. You’d mop up later, right now you wanted a hot shower and to be out of the sticky, cold clothes you were in. As you left, you could feel someone’s eyes burning holes into your back, but you didn’t turn around to check whose. 

The cafe slash bookstore used to have a studio apartment above it, which you suspected was half the reason Shigaraki chose this place, because there was a bedroom and a small kitchen and a bathroom all crammed into the upstairs space of the shop. It didn’t exactly make for comfortable living arrangements, but it had working plumbing and an old mattress on the floor that you all took turns on every night. Since the only other people at the hideout were downstairs, you had the whole upstairs apartment to yourself as you shlepped off each article of water-logged clothing, and left it all in a pile on the bathroom floor. You’d deal with it later, after you were warmed up once more. 

Steam quickly filled the itty bitty corner that could barely be called a bathroom, hot and cloying, and it thankfully stopped your incessant shivering. The hot water helped ward off the chill even more, and by the time you were done scrubbing your body with shampoo (since the bathroom was so small, and travelling light was an essential to being a League member, it had been unceremoniously dumped on everyone that there would only be one shower product - shampoo. There was a lot of complaining, mostly from you, Toga, Magne, and surprisingly Dabi even spoke up, to which Shigaraki had snarled, “if you want your fru-fru shit that bad, get it yourself.” That had squashed any whinging, although a few days later, an antibacterial body wash had appeared in one corner of the shower with the name “DABI” scrawled all over it in black ink. To be honest, the shampoo wasn’t even that bad to use as body wash. Things could have been worse - you could have been handed a communal bar of Irish Spring and been told to “deal”. So yeah, you couldn’t really complain.) you felt immensely better. No longer on the verge of catching your death of a cold. 

Stepping out of the shower was another atrocity to add to your list for the day, but you knew if you stayed in you would get pruney, so you shut the water off and yanked your towel off the rack. It was warm and fluffy, thankfully, and when you pulled back the shower curtain, you were thankful you had grabbed the towel before doing anything else. 

Shigaraki was sitting on the toilet. 

More accurately, he was sitting on the lid of the toilet, pants not around his ankles or in any other compromising position, but it still scared the shit out of you, pun not intended. You yelped in response, a little delayed, and glared at him. 

“God, what?”

He stayed quiet for a long time, long enough that you decided to actually get out of the shower and start drying your hair. When he spoke up, it startled you because you had already just kind of accepted the fact that he was going to simply sit there and watch you. 

“You were cold, when you came in.” 

You jumped. “Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious.” 

“Brat,” he sneered. It was quiet for another moment. “Do you feel better now?” 

“Mildly.” You were still chilly, it would take a while for you to be fully warm and cozy again. 

You finished drying your hair, one hand still gripping the towel for dear life, and gave Shigaraki one last confused glance (because he still hadn’t said anything) before you walked your happy ass to the communal closet where everyone had shoved their clothing. It took several minutes of rummaging, but you eventually found underwear you knew was yours, and pants and a shirt you thought were yours, and socks you knew for sure belonged to Compress due to their fluffiness, and pulled it all on, sighing in relief as you were finally encompassed in warmth for the first time since you had stepped outside that morning. You heard a creak from behind you, and you turned around to see Shigaraki had followed you again. 

“Do you need something?” You asked bluntly, roughly shoving your arm through your last sleeve. 

Shigaraki only grunted in response, and grabbed your wrist with four careful fingers. You let out a confused noise of protest, but you didn’t struggle against him as he pulled you in the direction of the mattress on the floor. He wouldn’t hurt you, he never has. And he was especially careful with your wrist in his grasp when he sat on said mattress, pulling you down with him to… cuddle. 

It took several minutes of shuffling around, but eventually the both of you were curled up in a little ball in the middle of the bare padding. Shigaraki’s nose was pressed into the junction where your neck and collarbones met, his breath coming out in soft puffs against your skin. Legs tangled together, arms wrapped tightly around each other, you finally felt warm. 

Bonus Scene:

“I knew you had a soft spot for me,” you mumbled into his soft hair. 

Shigaraki hummed, and then spoke up. “Yeah, well, can’t have you freezing your tits off if you’re going to be choking on my dick later later.” 

“Fuck you.” 

“That’s what I’m trying to do.” 

You scoffed, but you didn’t shove him away or try to get away. “You’re so nasty.” 

“You like it,” Shigaraki said smugly. 

He was right, unfortunately.

AO3 || Masterlist

End Notes: thank you for reading! requests are OPEN!

ABSOLUTELY NO ONE HAS MY PERMISSION TO REPOST MY WORK TO ANY SITE.

Tagging @league-of-simps because ily and ik shigaraki is ur Guy <3 /p

[techhiz]

Quick thing before we start! Y/n is like Eve from "Wall-E."!!!

Echoes of a Forgotten Bond

(TFP!Bumblebee x silent! cybertronian! reader)

The stars above shone brightly, their light casting a serene glow over the landscape. Bumblebee rolled to a stop at a scenic overlook, his yellow alt-mode gleaming under the night sky. Beside him, [Y/N] transformed gracefully, their movements fluid and effortless. They glanced at Bumblebee, their optics reflecting the starlight, and he felt his spark skip a pulse.

“This is perfect,” Bumblebee said, his voice buzzing softly. “Just us, the stars, and no Decepticons. Finally, some peace.”

[Y/N] nodded, a faint hum of agreement escaping them. Their quiet presence always spoke volumes, and Bumblebee appreciated how they didn’t need words to communicate.

“You know,” Bumblebee continued, rubbing the back of his helm, “I was kinda nervous about tonight. I mean, you deserve something special, and I just—”

[Y/N] raised a servo, cutting him off with a small shake of their helm. Their optics softened, conveying that just being here with him was more than enough.

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop rambling,” Bumblebee chuckled, his engine purring with relief. “Let’s just enjoy this.”

For a while, they did. The two of them sat side by side, their frames illuminated by the gentle light of the moon. Bumblebee felt his spark settle, content and warm. But just as he was about to suggest a race back to the base, a low rumble echoed through the canyon.

“Bumblebee,” came a smooth, mocking voice. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Bumblebee tensed immediately, his optics narrowing as Knockout and Breakdown stepped into view. The crimson medic’s frame gleamed under the moonlight, while Breakdown’s massive form cast an imposing shadow.

“You’ve got the worst timing,” Bumblebee muttered, stepping protectively in front of [Y/N].

“Timing’s everything,” Knockout replied with a smirk. His optics flicked to [Y/N], and his expression turned curious. “And who’s this? Your new partner-in-crime? How cute.”

“Leave them out of this,” Bumblebee snapped, his servos clenching.

Breakdown chuckled, hefting his hammer. “Sorry, but that’s not how this works.”

[Y/N] stiffened, their optics darting between the two Decepticons. Bumblebee noticed and placed a reassuring servo on their arm.

“Run,” he whispered urgently. “Get back to the base. I’ll handle them.”

[Y/N] shook their head, their defiance clear. They weren’t leaving him, not now.

Knockout’s smirk widened. “Oh, they’re brave. I like that.”

Before Bumblebee could react, Breakdown lunged forward, swinging his hammer down. Bumblebee pushed [Y/N] out of the way just in time, the hammer slamming into the ground where they’d been standing.

“Go!” Bumblebee shouted, engaging Breakdown to keep him occupied.

[Y/N] hesitated for a moment before transforming and speeding toward the cliff edge. But Knockout was quicker than they anticipated. The medic fired a bolt of energy that struck their rear axle, sending them skidding to a halt.

“Gotcha,” Knockout purred, approaching them as they transformed back into their bot mode.

[Y/N] tried to stand, but their injuries slowed them down. Knockout crouched in front of them, tilting his helm as if studying a piece of art.

“There’s something familiar about you,” he mused, his tone uncharacteristically thoughtful.

[Y/N] glared at him, their optics blazing with defiance despite the energon dripping from their wounds.

Knockout frowned, his usual arrogance faltering. For a fleeting moment, a memory surfaced—[Y/N] standing tall and vibrant, laughing at something he’d said back on Cybertron. They’d been acquaintances once, perhaps even friends, before the war had torn them apart.

“No way…” Knockout whispered, his optics widening.

“Knockout!” Breakdown’s voice snapped him out of his reverie. “Stop spacing out and finish it!”

Knockout hesitated, glancing between [Y/N] and Breakdown. Then, with a frustrated growl, he stood.

“Change of plans,” he announced. “We’re leaving.”

“What?!” Breakdown looked confused. “But—”

“I said we’re done,” Knockout snapped, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Breakdown huffed but relented, retreating with Knockout. Bumblebee, battered but still standing, watched them leave before rushing to [Y/N]’s side.

“Hey, hey, I’m here,” Bumblebee said, his voice trembling as he knelt beside them. “Are you okay?”

[Y/N] let out a soft sound, their optics fluttering open. They were injured but alive, and Bumblebee felt a wave of relief wash over him.

“You’re gonna be okay,” he murmured, gently lifting them into his arms. “I promise.”

----

Back at the base, Ratchet worked tirelessly to patch up [Y/N]’s wounds. Bumblebee paced anxiously, his optics flicking to the med bay every few seconds.

Finally, Ratchet emerged, his expression stern but relieved. “They’ll be fine. Just give them time to recover.”

Bumblebee let out a shaky sigh, his shoulders sagging. “Thank you, Ratchet.”

When [Y/N] finally woke, Bumblebee was by their side, holding their servo gently. “Hey,” he said softly, his optics filled with emotion. “You scared the scrap out of me, you know that?”

[Y/N] managed a faint smile, their free servo brushing against his cheekplate.

Bumblebee chuckled, his grip tightening slightly. “I owe you a proper date after all this. No Decepticons, just us. Promise.”

[Y/N] hummed softly, their optics conveying their trust in him.

----

Meanwhile, aboard the Nemesis, Knockout stared out a viewport, his expression distant. Breakdown watched him curiously before finally breaking the silence.

“What’s up with you?” he asked. “You’ve been acting weird since we left.”

Knockout didn’t respond immediately. His optics flickered with a mix of emotions before he finally spoke, his voice low.

“The quiet one is… family.”

Breakdown’s optics widened, but Knockout didn’t elaborate further. The memory of a time long past lingered, haunting him as the Nemesis drifted through the void.

[starlightwoofwoof]

you know what frick it

I’m making a Spooky Month AU based off of one of my favorite Goosebumps books

anyway for the whole starting point of this, here’s if Skid, Pump, Ross, Roy and Robert attended King Jellyjam’s Sports Camp (and also featuring some skin complexion headcanons as well cause why not heh)

Extra info :

Lila let Skid go to Camp Jellyjam after he saw a sign-up poster for it in town. Not sure why, but she eventually let him go there. Pump kinda just tagged along with Skid-

Skid is always wearing something skeleton related and Pump is always wearing pumpkin related lol

They stay as close to each other as possible, even entering the same competitions just to be with each other

Buddy (the head counselor, you can see him in multiple of my previous posts lol) thinks they’re slightly annoying, but they’re super energetic. He also thinks they should probably try to actually compete instead of them entering the same competitions just so they can be with each other, and letting each other win-

I’m not sure if they would ever meet King Jellyjam in person, but if they did, they would either think he’s super cool, or they would be too distracted by how bad he smells to care about his ‘coolness’-

Skid and Pump had tried to befriend Alicia multiple times, but she’s a bit shy. They were honestly worried about her after she disappeared, but they were happy to see her after everyone was saved.

Speaking of that, the boys were honestly a bit suspicious about the whole thing, especially after Alicia went missing. They weren’t really able to figure it out though before the whole secret came out.

Alright, that’s it for Skid and Pump, I think.

HATBOI TIME

Extra Info :

Okay, first off, Ross. Obviously, of course Jaune let him go-

Ross, despite being a bit of an introvert and also the slight age gap, had made good acquaintances with Elliot

I kinda headcanon Ross liking music, and a lot of bands, so I wanted to give him a band shirt. Problem : I don’t really have any knowledge on any bands, so I just picked my sister’s favorite band-

Also yes, he sharpied a replica of Aaron’s tattoo on his arm-

Buddy thinks Ross could be more sociable, and less nervous when he’s competing, but he thinks he’s kinda cool. Ross doesn’t mind Buddy, but he does think he’s kinda creepy sometimes cause of how happy he is, and his signature grin

Okay, time for Roy. I’m not sure why in the world Carmen or Richard would let him go to a sport’s camp- maybe they saw how ‘expensive’ the playing fields, equipment and dorms were and thought he deserved to go to ‘experience luxury’ lmao

Roy is extremely competitive, despite not really being a sport’s guy. He always tries to win, probably because of an ego thing, or to de-stress, idk

Roy kinda made ‘friends’ with Jeff. (well it was more of a frenemy kind of thing, y’know, them both kinda being bullies and them being competitive)

I didn’t know what outfit to give him honestly, idk what a ‘elegant summer look’ even would be, so I just gave him the outfit from the Mother’s Day 2024 drawing but with the sleeves rolled up lol

Buddy doesn’t like him all too much, thinks he’s incredibly rude, but he does like how competitive he is, and tries to be as friendly as he can to him

Now, as you can see, Roy got 6 King Coins. That means he can go onto the Winner’s Walk :D (and also be a slave for King Jellyjam but let’s talk about that later)

Ross and Robert were extremely happy for him, but they started to worry once they realized he went missing the next day. They practically interrogated Buddy on it, until they gave up, figuring he went home

Roy didn’t go home, though. He was busy cleaning King JJ before Wendy came to save everyone. Luckily, he didn’t die, but that incident might carry with him, along with all his other trauma (poor boy why did I pick you to be the one to suffer ☹️)

A n y w a y, Robert is last. He’s just a little silly :3

He really does like everything- but his personal favorite sports were baseball, soccer, and the Marbles Tournaments

He likes talking about aliens, and other cool things in the spare time he’s not playing sports (which is literally almost never)

Robert also made nice acquaintances with Elliot

Robert misses his siblings tho, he wishes he could at least talk to them :(

He could also been seen with Ross and Roy a lot when they’re not busy with sports

These three were all roommates, along with some kid named Joe. Who’s Joe? JOE MA-

Buddy quite likes Robert, they both think each other is cool

OKAY ENOUGH OF THAT-

okay, to end this off, here’s some more general info I thought up for now :

Since the two medias take place in completely different time periods (assuming the book’s events take place the same year it was released, it would be 1995), I wasn’t sure what to do, but I just picked SM’s time period, around 2012

I don’t think it’ll change too much, honestly, just with the whole pay phones not being there. I don’t think they’ll allow cellphones at Camp Jellyjam anyway- (everybody’s ages will probably remain the same too)

omg just imagine one of the SM adults attended the camp as a counselor

OMG KEVIN

okay I think I’ll shut up now uhhhh

one more thing, here’s something with Buddy

I’m losing it

[benasabrina]

Could u write about Kakashi coming home from a long mission and see Anko sleeping with a tiny baby bump ty<3

ANON, MY DEAR FRIEND!! I am writing this fluff thanks to yooooou!

Edit: IM SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG!! I hit a writing funk for like two years 🥺🥺 But here’s the fic!!

Ficlet under read more~

Kakashi had always thought he'd be used to long missions away from Konoha. It gave him some quiet time, away from everyone, to reflect on his past and things he could do for his future.

But, this time around, he has someone waiting for him at home. Someone he's happy to call his significant other, despite them only doing so in private. Kakashi's still happy all the same, regardless.

It has been a long three and a half months and while the mission was successful, he just wanted to go home and embrace the woman he grew to love even more while being away.

"Anko..." he breathed and decided to pick up the pace to make it home by morning. A faint smile formed under his mask as he jumped from branch to branch. Hopefully, she'd be happy to see him too.

xXx

As the sun light broke over the horizon, Kakashi crossed the gate into Konoha. He skid to a stop, faint dust picking up behind him, and took a moment to catch his breath. The silver-haired Jonin glanced over to his left and saw the guardsmen. Nodding his head in hello, Kakashi took in one last breath and calmly walked the rest of the distance to see her... to see Anko Mitarashi.

While they both haven't been sending each other messages via hawk, snake, or hound, Kakashi knew that Anko was fine... right? At least, he hoped. Truth be told, not hearing anything for those three and half months made him a bit nervous. Things were fine between them. They had to be.

Soon enough, he saw her apartment coming up and jumped the rest of the distance to her door step. Since it was so early, he opted to using the key she gave him and slipped in quietly. Once entered, he took off his sandals, backpack, and discarded his flak jacket. Kakashi decided to say good morning to her before he decided to take a shower (thankfully he has some toiletries at her place) and removed his headband. Blinking to restore some sense of vision in his Sharingan eye, he sighed then made a beeline to Anko's room.

He cracked the door open and smiled at the sight of her. His eyes travelled along her body and came to rest on... "Huh?" he whispered and tiptoed to see her closer.

The blankets were resting at her hips and left a soft mound exposed on her abdomen. Had she put on some weight? he thought to himself. No where else seemed so… plump. Her face was still slender as were her arms and thighs.

But her belly? He shook his head. Even if she did put on some weight, he loved her all the same! Kakashi’s gaze traveled back up to her sleepy features and he smiled once again. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

This caused her to stir. An eye opened up blearily and suddenly both eyes shot open when she realized who was in her room. “‘Kashi?” she mumbled tiredly. “You’re home already?” Anko stretched and carefully contorted herself to sit up. She pulled the blanket up and ended up not bringing up her belly. “I thought you weren’t coming home til the end of the week?”

Kakashi shrugged and stretched as well. “Mission ended up ending earlier. So I made a beeline here.”

She smirked. “I can tell, go shower.”

He laughed and lowered his mask, then he felt the need to get serious. “Are you okay?” Kakashi asked gaze going towards her abdomen.

Anko blushed and looked away. “Yeah… I am. I’m perfectly healthy still,” she mumbled. “I’m just pregnant.”

“Ah.” Kakashi stood to head to the bathroom then stopped in his tracks. The Jonin immediately turned around, eyes wide as saucers. “Wait, pregnant?!”

“Yeah? I mean, we did do it right before you left on your mission.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Anko shuffled a bit uncomfortably. “Because I didn’t want to distract you from the mission..?” She felt like she was getting scolded and she groaned. “Plus I didn’t feel this would have been appropriate to, ya know, just send through hawk or dog mail.”

“Pregnant,” Kakashi trailed off and padded over to Anko once again. He looked to her for permission and once he received a nod from her, he lowered the blanket and placed a hand on her belly. “Woah.”

“Our baby is growing in there.” Anko looked to Kakashi to try and gauge his reaction. “Just letting you know, you’re not leaving me, ever. This is your kid too, and you’re stuck with the both of us.”

His gaze went to Anko’s chocolate brown irises. “I would never plan on it. You’re both stuck with me too.”

[canon-fcdder]

A brow lifts when Sanderson sees a lot of purple passing him by. Turning, amethyst hues peer over signature shades to get a closer look at whoever it was. Gaze is slow to trail over their form, smirking slightly as he deems them worthy of his attention. "Well, hello there, pretty boy~ I think you dropped something." He then hands over a card with his number on it. "This what you're looking for?" ( Imma just put him in the trash now. :') - for Peri! ) - ✧ ˖ ˙ 「 @deceitfulmorals 」 ˙ ˖ ✧

「 ☆ 」 He's not nervous.

He's not.

... Even if he was, it doesn't do him any good to sit around stewing in the suffocation of waiting for his first assignment Which should be dropping any day now. Time won't speed up merely because he WILLS it to. Unfortunately, that's not under the jurisdiction of fairies. With how much red-tape must be contended with and all the prominent figures in charge of different aspects of the universe, it's a wonder anything gets done. But the way things work are not for Peri to question... Doesn't seem like it's for anyone to question. Even if Peri does have a few choice things he'd like to debate ask. But again– what does he know?

After all, he hasn't been around NEARLY as long as the others. Surely they've been through everything and figured out the proper way to navigate it all. Sordid as fairy roots may be— going from a predatory antagonistic relationship towards humans to a more... symbiotic one —things run far more amicably in the present. Disrupting that would be foolish. Better to be a chipper cog in the machine, an asset to those around him. One who can better UNDERSTAND it all. Grow numb to it all.

The sooner he has a godchild of his own, the sooner he'll know what the others do.

Until then, a brisk fly is the best he can do to settle ❛ non-existent ❜ nerves. Not paying attention to his surroundings, the petite fairy doesn't even register that he's passed by the other man aside from a slight veer in his course so they don't collide. It takes a moment for Peri to realize he's even being SPOKEN to, skidding to a halt mid-air with furrowed brow and a quizzical glance behind him. Internally buzzing with impatience at being stopped in the midst of his non-relaxing stroll, violet hues flit up and down the other's form. As if he can gauge what the other wants by look alone.

❝ Dropped something? ❞ Peri parrots, confusion only growing as the flirt flies completely over his head. He can hardly be blamed... He knows he's pretty. It's rather obvious, even amongst mythical standards, that Peri is a catch. He's been told as much throughout his life. Graduating from ❛ a cute kid ❜ to a ❛ dashing young man ❜ . Despite being an adult, he has yet to grow out of being his parents' ❛ beautiful baby boy ❜ . So being called pretty feels the same as being told he's purple; holding as much weight as it would were he cooed at by an overbearing relative.

Looking down at the offered card, a brow raises over half-lidded hues. Gaze flits from it to the stranger and then back down, before he dryly says, ❝ ... I didn't drop that. ❞ 「 ☆ 」

[zombiebastian]

Previous chapter

Jeff The Killer: Sebastian's rewrite

Chapter 2

(it should go without saying but obviously as this is a Jeff the killer piece, its gonna contain a lot of violence, as well as references to self harm so if you don't like that stuff please leave or proceed with caution)

Jeff and Liu walked to the bus stop, that wasn't too far from their house. When they lived in their old house their Dad would often drive them to school because back then his job started a little later after school started. Now they had to walk and wait for the bus, not only because their Dad's job started earlier but because the school was farther away, even though they still lived in the same town.

Jeff remembers before they moved, his parents had been talking about sending him and Liu to a different school closer to their house, but then they decided against it as it would cost too much money and it would be less of a bother just letting them ride the bus. Jeff wished they had went to a different school, everyone at his school hated him, well only a few people did and they showed it, but Jeff could tell those who didn't also hated him, but just didn't want to get into trouble. Not that they would, as he knew his teachers hated him too.

But then Jeff realised even if he did go to a different school, it wouldn't be long before the other students would probably start to hate him as well, he was like a hatred magnet, at least in his eyes. Jeff and Liu stood at the bus stop, Jeff didn't want to sit down on the seats because they were wet, despite summer just ending it had been raining again already, plus it wouldn't be too long until the bus arrived.

Soon something came speeding up towards them across the street, but it wasn't the bus, it was three boys on skate boards. Jeff looked at them and thought they were stupid, who would skateboard after it had just rained the night previously?

These boys would, Randy, Keith and Troy were their names and they were students at Jeff's school, Jeff hadn't interacted with them much because they never really talked, they were sort of quiet like him, but less hated. Over the summer that fact had changed though, or at least they tried to change their images of shy nervous kids.

The trio skated towards Jeff and Liu, skidding water onto the both of them, Jeff flinched as he feels the water hit his face "Hey, careful where you're skating," Jeff said, not in a particular tone, he wasn't being overly rude or anything, just a simple request. Randy, a guy with short messy ginger hair, a black jacket and skinny jeans looked at him with a scrunched up and annoyed looking face and said "Mind your own damn business, kid,"

Randy said "kid" to refer to Jeff, despite being the same age as him. Jeff rolled his eyes but didn't want to get involved in any conflict, he hated that type of stuff, but the trio continued to bother him and Liu.

"Yeah, keep to yourself, and that disgusting stain on your sweater," Troy laughed, despite being a lot taller than all the other boys standing around him, Troy was actually the second youngest after Liu, being twelve, he wore a long sleeved white shirt, a grey beanie and grey joggers, he also had black hair and dark eyes.

Again, Jeff tried to ignore them, but then Liu decided to stand up for his brother "Quit it, take your own advice and mind your own business,". The trio just laughed in his face as a response "Awwww, is the little baby standing up for his big bro? Whats next, gonna piss in your diaper?" Giggled Keith, who wore a black sweater, long orangey red pants and had short brown hair.

Jeff and Liu weren't offended by the trios cliché insults, so they pretended they didn't exist, but ignoring them only motivated them to be even more of a bother.

"Awww come on Jeffy, we're just having some fun with you and that pisspants you call a brother!" Still ignoring them.

"Jeff you should show more respect to someone who's gonna be your future Dad, considering I banged your mom last night," Still ignoring them.

"Don't act like such a loser Jeff, you know ignoring us won't make us go away," Still ignoring them.

Randy (who was apparently the ring leader of this "gang") was starting to get agitated that Jeff and Liu weren't giving him the satisfying reaction he wanted. Meanwhile the brothers were just hoping the bus would show up soon, because despite their lack of offense taken to such dumb insults, they still felt uncomfortable.

"God damnit, stop being such a rude dick and answer us Jeffrey!" Randy yelled out, getting pretty close to Jeff while pointing a finger at him, Jeff looks at him for a split second then turns his eyes away, for some reason this small action made Randy's blood boil, and he punched Jeff in the face.

Jeff's body went flying back, onto the wet but stop seats, getting rain water on his pants, he nearly hit his head on the glass part of the bus stop but luckily he didn't. The punch was not too bad, it didn't cause any bleeding, but Jeff was angry, he knew that if these three kids began to resort to violence it would be harder to ignore, so he lunged back, swinging and punching Randy twice as hard.

Randy fell back, but caught himself before he fully fell to the ground, he held a hand to his nose and felt something wet, he looked down at his fingers and saw a red substance dripping out.

"Oh my god-" exclaimed Keith, looking at the blood dripping out of Randy's nostril. Jeff and Liu thought that Keith and Troy were about to go nuts and get revenge for what Jeff did to their friend, but instead they just laughed.

"Randy, how could you let that skinny stick give you a broken nose?!" Cackled Troy, Keith then also began chuckling loudly, looking down at Randy as he did so "Yeah, what are you made of glass?!"

Randy looks up them with embarrassment and heated anger, he immediately stood up and yelled "Its not broken! And I was just caught of guard, I'm about to give both these guys worse than a broken nose!"

Liu was extremely anxious during this whole situation, and now a bit scared. His heart beat quicker and quicker as Randy approached him and Jeff, but then suddenly the bus pulled up right behind them. Randy stops right in his tracks and sighs "I'll get you for this another time, and you're lucky I ain't no snitch," he states as he rubs the blood from his nose.

Randy and the two others step onto the bus, Jeff and Liu following up behind. Jeff and Liu take a seat next to each other. "What should we do, Jeff?" Asks Liu, seemingly still in a bit of shock. Jeff doesn't turn to him but says "I don't know... Just because I'm older than you doesn't mean I know the answer to everything,"

"I know," responds Liu "But I really don't want to get jumped after school,". Jeff scoffs "As if they'll actually be brave enough to do that, most bullies are all talk and no action," but then Jeff thinks to himself, continuing his statement but not saying out loud "Besides you have nothing to worry about, everyone likes you so damn much I wouldn't be surprised if those dickheads dropped their weapons and began to kiss your feet if they tried to jump us,"

The bus soon arrived at the school. The school was so worn down and isolated, despite it being populated by many students and teachers, it still felt like an abandoned building when you stepped inside. Litter and rubbish surrounded the outside of the school, on the inside the walls were covered in gum and the wallpaper was peeling off, the bottoms of desks were covered in dried gum and boogers, almost everything had vulgar words and images crudely drawn onto them, and no one even likes thinking about the *literal* shit in the bathrooms.

The school did have a few janitors, but it was clear they never did their jobs correctly, or that the school cared about the students wellbeing.

Jeff's went to his homeroom class, it took a while to find it as this was his new homeroom class since it was the first day of 7th grade and every year the homeroom classes switch around. He eventually found it though, it was on the second floor of the school and was in the maths department block, which was convenient for him as his first class was math afterwards. Liu didn't follow him as he was in the year below and had a different homeroom.

Jeff sat down at his assigned seat, the teacher hadn't shown up to class yet so most of the other students were standing around chatting, and the ones sitting were most likely not in their assigned seats. Jeff couldn't wait for homeroom to be over, as when he went to his math class he had a plan that he'd been waiting to do all summer, it was probably the only thing he looked forward to when going back to school.

Eventually the teacher came into the room, which made all the other students scurry to their assigned seats, this included Randy and Troy (Keith was in another homeroom class). Randy and Troy sat behind Jeff, Jeff didn't really notice at that very moment though, and luckily for Randy his nose has stopped bleeding before the bus dropped him off at the school.

The teacher stood at the front of the class and lectured them all on how they weren't in their assigned seats and how they needed to behave even when she wasn't in the room. Jeff ignored most of it, afterall he was probably the only one who actually went to his assigned seat.

Jeff could hear whispers behind him, but like the teachers lecture, he ignored it, kids would whisper to each other in class all the time. But then he felt something hit the back of his head, and then a pair of quiet chuckles. Jeff held a finger to the back of his head, whatever hit him didn't hurt, but it was a weird sensation.

He looked behind him to see Randy and Troy, trying their best to hold in their laughter. Jeff then looked down, and saw what hit him was the lid of a pen. He turned back around, trying to ignore them again. Jeff then felt something else hit him a few seconds later, it was a lot lighter than the pen lid.

He looked back round and then down on the ground where the object had landed, it was a small piece of paper. He turned back round again, hearing as Randy and Troy continued to "whisper laugh". Throughout homeroom, Jeff would continuously feel things getting thrown at him, nothing that caused pain, but they definitely caused annoyance, he never turned around to see what the objects were though like he did the first two times.

Soon, homeroom ended, and Jeff quietly sighed in relief. He stood up from his chair and grabbed his bag. He began to walk to his math class, Troy followed behind as apparently he also had the same math class as Jeff.

"Hey Jeffrey!!" Troy teased, saying Jeff's name in a stupid voice to agitate him. Jeff ignores him.

They made it to their class, Jeff was a bit excited, because as stated before he had a plan he was going to do during this lesson. He sat down and got his maths book out as well as his pencil case, though he knew he wasn't really going to use them much in this class.

Soon the teacher came in, thankfully this time he didn't go on a lecture about the students behaving or whatever else teachers get bothered over. And also Troy sat on the complete opposite side of the classroom to Jeff, so thankfully for him there'd be no chance of him being a nuisance.

Jeff waited for about 10 minutes to pass by in the lesson, the teacher was talking about how to divide decimals, when Jeff raised his hand, the teacher turns around and says "Yes?"

Jeff answers "May I go to the bathroom?", Jeff said "may" instead of "can" because we all know what the teacher would say if he didn't. The teacher replied "Really? The lessons only just started, do you really need to go?"

"Yes" Jeff says sternly.

The teacher sighs "Fine, but don't take to long,". Jeff gets up and leaves the classroom. As mentioned before, the bathrooms in this school were revolting, the cleanest bathroom was the one in the IT block of the school, and even then there was often urine on the floor. The IT block was farthest away from the maths block where Jeff was, but Jeff didn't care, he went there anyways. Because there was no way Jeff was gonna do this thing he had been looking forward to all summer in a stall covered in feces and toilet water.

He eventually found the IT block toilets, he went inside. It still had a really gross smell, and almost everything in there was broken, and there was wee in the corner of the room. But compared to the other bathrooms it was heaven. Jeff went into the cleanest looking stall and locks the door behind him, he then pulls the toilet seat down and sits on it.

He reaches into his bag, he had brought his bag with him. That was the part of the plan he thought might've got him caught, as you don't usually take your bag with you to the toilets unless your a girl, but it seemed the teacher hadn't noticed. He reaches in and pulls out a lighter, he had hidden it in his PE kit bag.

Jeff didn't smoke (unlike some other kids at his school), but he really liked fire. And during the summer he had found a lighter on the side of the road, but in his old house there were smoke detectors, and ones were being installed in the new house. Luckily for Jeff, there were surprisingly no smoke detectors in the schools bathroom, there were in the hallways and classrooms, but not the bathrooms.

He held the lighter close to his face and lit it, he watched as the golden flame appeared right before his eyes. Jeff didn't know why he liked fire, maybe it was the warmth, or the way it glowed, or the way it burned. But he did, and he'd take every opportunity he had to be near it.

He then took a piece of toilet paper from his left, and then began to burn the end of it using the lighter, the fire spread across, slowly burning the fabric away.

Jeff continues doing this again and again, he was hynotized by the fire, so hypnotized that he didn't realise that he had been in there for ages and that he'd probably get in trouble for skipping class, even if he did realize this he probably wouldn't have cared.

After about half an hour of continuously lighting bits of toilet paper on fire, Jeff wondered, what would it feel like to be burned? Jeff's parents had always been sure to keep him and Liu away from fire and other dangerously hot things, so he hadn't been burned before in his life. He lit the lighter and slowly began moving his hand towards the small flame, he just wanted to see how it felt.

But before he could make contact, he heard the door open, and then someone came into the bathroom and began banging on the door in front of Jeff "Jeff are you in there?!" Called out the voice of Troy, whom had been sent by the teacher to go fetch Jeff as he was taking too long in the bathroom.

Jeff puts the lighter in his pocket and replies "Go away, I'm doing my own thing,". Troys laughs echoed from behind the stall "What? You got diarrhea or something?". Troy began kicking at the door.

"Oh my god piss off please!" Yelled out Jeff. But Troy just continues to let out his roars of laughter, knowing he was getting on Jeff's nerves, Jeff then heard the loud footsteps of Troy's feet making their way to the left. Troy had went into the stall beside Jeffs and climbed onto the toilet, peaking down over the stall at Jeff.

"Oh so you really aren't shitting," said Troy. Jeff looks up, visibly furious "Mind your own damn business!". Troy continued to laugh at Jeff, despite nothing much funny taking place. Jeff kicks the stall that Troy looked over, but that just fuled the fire that was Troy's cackling.

Jeff almost instinctively reaches into his pocket and pulls out his lighter, he stands up on the toilet he was sitting on and brings it close to Troy's face, before Troy could react, Jeff lit the lighter, burning Troy's nose bridge, he howled in pain and fell from the toilet he had climbed on, falling onto the dirty germ infested floor. "Ah fuck! Fuck! What did you just do?!" He yells out, Jeff could swear he heard a few sobs between his words. Most people in this situation would probably be freaking out at what they just did, maybe even try to help. But not Jeff, he just stood in the stall as he listened to Troy's screams and whimpers, he wanted to walk out the stall and back to his class, but his body just wouldn't let him.

Jeff didn't feel anything anyone normally would at that moment, no fear for getting into trouble, no guilt for what he had just done to Troy, not even any remaining anger or annoyance at what Troy was doing before he burnt him. All he could feel was a weird swirling in his stomach, the swirling caused a nice feeling vibration that swept through his whole body, and that made his mouth curl up into a smile.

Eventually Jeff left the stall, and then the bathroom, he could still hear echoes of Troy's cries in his mind, which made him feel good. Class had seemingly already ended, so he went to his next class. For the entirety of that lesson, Jeff was calm, and was actually able to pay attention to what the teacher was saying for once, but a small thought lingered in the back of his mind, that soon he would be taken out that class because Troy had told someone what happened in the bathroom, thankfully for him, that never happened.

[sunny6677]

AIGHT SOOOOO

Gregor confronting Lila in The Saturated AU!

(Inspired by @mayisgoingnuts )

(Gregor is also meant to be funny so dw lmao)

Skid and Pump see the now dead Moloch, and Pump begins to cry a little. He runs over to Moloch, and starts basically hitting the statue repeatedly while crying about how it's not fair. In this AU, Moloch is actually REPELLED by young life—and being the little shits they are, Skid and Pump were basically following him around just to mess with him or beat him themselves. Skid glares at the Statue, and then over at Gregor silently. Pump begins to scream at Gregor. "ITS NOT FAIR! WHY DID YOU GET HIM BEFORE WE DID?!"

Skid yells out, "WE DID THE STUPID THINGS YOU ASKED! WHY'D YOU STOP US?!"

Gregor doesn't give an exact answer, and just rolls his eyes. "Hmph.. it doesn't matter." While turning around, he smiles to himself and snickers. "It's funny to watch you cry about something so stupid anyway."

This pisses off both of them because they hear it, and while angrily yelling, they begin to run after Gregor who just quickens his pace and forces himself to limp rather rapidly out of the house.

As Gregor leaves, he seems somewhat pleased with himself, but also nervous. And then he notices Lila slowly getting out of her car with Jaune beside her.

Jaunes smiles awkwardly at Lila, but it kind of fades once she notices Gregor completely. And Lila slurs out, "Wh.. what's.. what's zat? What's it doin' out my house..?"

Jaune places a hand on Lila's shoulder, and tries to stop her from going any further while laughing nervously. Skid comes running out of the house while Pump stands in the doorframe, but quickly stops and gains a look of slight horror when he notices his mom. Despite standing completely still, Lila notices him and gets irritated real quick.

"Wh.. hey.. how the hell did YOU get here?"

"..is.. this your son?"

Noticing the tone in Gregors voice, Lila becomes offended quick, practically marches foward while Jaune watches and scoops Skid up in her arms forcibly.

"Yeah—what's it to you, you.. old, piece of.."

"..pfff.. oh, that's rich coming from you. You know—I get that you're a widow and all, but seriously.. you and your son really ARE alike."

"..what's.. that supposed to mean?"

"Do I really have to say it? Woman—you really do have no self awareness, do you? Heh.. for one thing, you arrive to your house clearly drunk and act like I'M the one in the wrong here. You speak to your own son like that—and everybody wonders why he's such a brat when you're probably the one teaching him to be that way. You—"

Gregor begins to walk away, smiling proudly.

"—need a serious reality check."

Lila starts to glare, processing his words, but is so drunk she can't even turn around. Jaune stared at him, her gaze seeming to falter as if she cant really defend Lila from those words—while Aaron stares in confusion. After a while, Pump slowly walks out of the door—timildy. "..uh.. Ms. Lila..? I know you don't really like me, but can you—"

"Hahah—I—"

Jaune scoops Pump up. "I got him! I'll.. I'll take care of this, Lila. Uh.. bye!"

"..yeah. See you later." Lila says flatly, holding onto Skid tighter.

[zombw1thquill]

★ 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐖𝐈𝐏

body jolting upward; you practically fling yourself ahead on the plush surface you sat on. your breathing is ragged, and your palms are sweating so much they feel sticky when you flex your fingers to make sure you're actually still there.

your eyes watered in what you can only assume to be fear and distress.

you were so incredibly hot, sweating almost violently despite the living room you woke up in being almost frigid. when you wring your hands together to get rid of the dreadful feeling, you take notice of the big black jacket draped over your legs.

lip quirking up a bit in relief, your eyes finally adjust to the darkness and the recollection of where you are quickly sinks in.

you'd fallen asleep at the skeleton household, which was more normal for you these days than not.

given your home in waterfall was a bit of a walk and boat trip away; red and edge let you crash on their couch when you didn't feel like making your way home.

edge would always half-heartedly complain, but ultimately neither of them seemed to mind your presence; relishing it more than anything.

especially red.

turning your legs to hang them off of the couch, you try to steady your breathing. the jacket that covered your legs almost skids off, but you grab it before it touches the floor; hugging it to yourself in an act of comfort.

it was obviously reds jacket, and you found solace in the fact that he thought about you enough to let you use it.

it smelt of cologne, cigarette smoke, and (clearly enough) mustard. the odd combination of scents clashed together in a way that was almost uncanny, and, in a weirdly nice way, it made you feel at home.

you swing the jacket around your person and put it on your shoulders before standing up. your legs slightly wobbled and your head got fuzzy at the quick action, so you stood still for a moment to catch your barrings.

given how late it was the house was almost pitch black, aside from the moonlight that gently cascaded through the open window and onto the green carpet. if you hadn't had the muscle memory you'd probably run into the coffee table on your way to the kitchen to get a drink.

the nightmare you experienced had shaken you considerably. you couldn't remember exactly what happened, but you felt extremely paranoid staying in one spot. it felt like something was watching you, and you couldn't shake the feeling that --no matter how much you tried to reassure yourself you were safe in the brothers' home-- something was after you.

and what better way to stay on the move than to get an unnecessary drink from the kitchen?

passing the coffee table you look towards the open doorway to the kitchen. the rectangular shadow was slightly darker than the rest of the surrounding area which made making your way to it easier than it would've been.

you shuffle into the dark kitchen and grope at the wall to find the light switch. it turns on abruptly when your hand accidentally hits it and you feel your eyes sting at the sudden artificial light.

squinting your eyes and mumbling a few curses, you walk to the (already open?) cabinet to grab a cup. you push your arms through the sleeves of the jacket to better grab it. they were placed annoyingly high up (meaning edge had done the dishes last), so you stand on your toes to knock the cup down which you thankfully caught.

much like the cup, you go through the process of quietly getting milk out of the fridge, pouring it into your cup, and placing it into the microwave to spin.

"..n' what're you doin' up?"

and clearly it wasn't quiet enough.

you jump, startled by the intruding voice. turning around from the microwave to face him, you faux coughing in embarrassment, "m' sorry, i was just gettin a drink. i didn't mean to wake you up.." you offer him a half-hearted smile, slurring your own words as you lean your back against the counter. you reflexively cross your arms, nervous for a reason you couldn't quite discern; like you've been caught doing something you shouldn't have.

red stood in the doorway rubbing at his eye sockets. brow boned creased in confusion as to what the hell you were doing. his voice was much more gravely and baritone than normal as he too, slurred his words. he wore a pair of black boxers with his iconic red sweater, and to top it all off big, fluffy bunny slippers.

he hums in response, and looks almost too pleased to see you wearing his jacket. he doesn't comment on it though.

"mhm," he trails off for a moment, eying the loudly humming and illuminated microwave. "..are you warmin' up milk?" he grins a bit and the humorous edge to his voice wasn't at all missed by you.

rolling your eyes you mumble something along the lines of him being stupid for judging you about your midnight drinking habits, which only makes his grin impossibly wider.

silence stills between you two as quickly as it was interrupted "you never answered my question," he said, now shuffling over to the fridge to get his own drink. you shrug, following him with your eyes, "it's stupid." you mutter. and to you it really was stupid. you'd let silly nightmare spook you into needing warm milk; that was an insult in and of itself. the last thing you wanted was to sound like a child whining about a bad dream.

what you weren't expecting was to be met with the intensity of reds' stare when he pulled his head from the fridge, "try me." he sounded dead serious, closing the fridge with a bottle of mustard in hand.

[chaletnz]

Bolivia: Death Road Bike Ride

Since it seemed like the "thing to do" while in La Paz, Bolivia - I'd signed myself up for the Death Road downhill bike ride without expecting too much. I met up with the group in central La Paz to have breakfast at Cafe del Mundo which was some bread with jam, a bowl of fruit, juice, smoothie, and a cappuccino. Our guides Gustavo and Marco introduced themselves and our driver Guillermo as we drove out of the city and up towards our starting point for the ride. The group was just six tourists; myself and a couple from Wellington, a guy from Canada, and a French lady/German man couple. Once at the start we were assigned our bikes - mine was the horse with no name, and given our helmets, gloves and protective pants and jackets. We had a short practice ride on the bikes over to the toilets and then we started down the sealed road. At the first viewpoint Marco took photos of us all and Gustavo told us there was a dead dog on the road ahead "so try not to look at it, try not to smell it". Wonderful. The road was wide and traffic avoided us so the first 30km or so on this sealed road was great, not a worry at all! Gustavo told us to get low on the handlebars so that we could go faster but I was already going so fast just from the gravity that I didn't need to. We reached a point where the road went into a tunnel, and bikes aren't allowed to ride there so we took our first sip of the off-road adventure and rode down a gravelly section alongside the tunnel where I almost ate it as my wheel skidded out from under me but managed to recover. The next section was uphill for about 9km so we rode up in the van to where the entrance sign is for Death Road. After taking our photos with it we rode the first 2km down to a little village with a viewpoint. The French lady was freaking out a bit by this point as we started to see the fog clearing and the tiny road 3m wide snaking around these huge mountains with a drop of hundreds of metres below came into view. The guides convinced her to keep going and we rode on, about 2km each time and then regrouping. Each section we biked, Gustavo would give us a warning like "be careful this is the most dangerous section" or "watch out for the waterfall, tourists have died going over the side right there" so of course we weren't nervous at all... The most recent death being a month ago also didn't sit well. On the last section before our snack break Gustavo pointed out again the "most dangerous section" where 4 tourists had died going over the side by going left instead of right at a pile of rocks on the road. As I passed the pile I wondered how on earth anyone could think there was enough room to go left there! We took a break for a sandwich, chips and coke and then carried on to a little cafeteria building on the hillside where some of the group did the zipline. I bought an ice cream and removed a few layers as it was starting to warm up a lot. From here we had to do a bit of uphill, but then it levelled out and carried on downhill where we reached a huge landslide. The van couldn't follow us anymore and had to go all the way back and take another road down to the bottom. We carried our bikes through the landslide section and then continued on through some dusty dry roads as temperatures heated up the closer we got to sea level. We splashed through some shallow rivers and came to a stop at a village on a bridge, then Guillermo drove us to La Senda Verde where our pasta lunch was waiting for us, as well as a couple boisterous dogs, and a fluffy cat that fell asleep on some luggage. The rest of the group went on a short tour of the sanctuary and then we left to drive back to La Paz. As we climbed in elevation again the conditions turned very foggy and it was impossible to see the road. Guillermo frantically wiped the windscreen with a cloth so he could see the centreline road marking that guided us for about half an hour since we couldn't see a thing. Despite the heavy fog, drivers continue to pass us and narrowly miss oncoming traffic. Somehow we made it back in one piece, and lived to tell the tale!

[notebookmusical]

So I did see one clip of a Death Becomes Her song but it was only like 20 seconds but Megan Hilty was definitely being a queen and singing good. I think they released a few songs actually but I just haven't gotten around to checking it out yet so I'll have to see what the music is like and if it's a mix of styles. It does seem like a pretty fun show though and something different compared to other more serious shows. I hope Megan is feeling better now too if she was sick. I hadn't really seen any reviews but that's great if people liked it in Chicago and a good sign. It definitely feels like the kind of show that's more for the audience than critics anyway and i'd be so curious about the death scenes.

Omg what did you think of Little Shop? I never got around to watching the bootleg I had so maybe I could do that this weekend, Since I'm more familiar with the movie than on stage..but I did watch my school's production. That's kinda why I was shocked you never saw it or listened to the whole thing before. Did you listen to the Jonathan Groff version or an older one? I do like him and Jeremy's voice in the songs but don't know if they fit the role if that makes sense haha. What were your favorite songs and were you able to follow the plot? I love Skid Row, Somewhere that's Green, Suddenly Seymour, Dentist and Feed Me. I hope you have fun at Wicked! Are you still seeing it 3 times? My mom had no idea why I wanted to see Wicked again cuz I already saw it..but that was 8 years ago lol. Oh I'm surprised you got your movie tickets already. I would've been nervous seeing it so close to the movie and comparing it and probably liking the movie a lot less because of it. Now I can try to enjoy it more by itself and I'm hoping it can be pretty separate especially cuz apparently part 1 is as long as the musical? So maybe they added a lot of different other stuff? I've already seen a few good reviews but still nervous. I'm probably definitely gonna see Kimberly Akimbo this month..just don't know when but I will for sure tell you how it is. I hope you do the same for me with Waitress, which I've never seen a production of. I haven't gotten to Warriors yet though either..hopefully sometime by the end of the year. I can't believe it's November already!

Did you see Sabrina's tour yet? I think you said it was near the beginning of November. I also loved her performance at Taylor's tour too cuz it's cool to hear Taylor sing other people's songs lol. It was definitely a surprise. I hope you were still able to go and have a good time despite health issues. If you haven't, I hope it's great and I'm always ready to hear your thoughts. I'm so glad you enjoyed my Orla Garland album recommendation! Have you listened to some of my Soccer Mommy recommendations yet? It's okay if you haven't but I loved her new album. It felt short at first and didn't leave a lasting impression cuz it's just slower or more acoustic but now it's growing on me and I love it a lot more now I'm familiar with each song. I knew I would love it but still don't know if I like it more than her other albums for now. This album is mostly similar to her album Color Theory though. My favorite songs are M, Thinking of You, Changes, Anchor, and dreaming of Falling..but I love them all. I also listened to it after I heard Halsey's album which was also more slower, emotional and raw than I was expecting. So in that way the two albums almost went together pretty well. Halsey kinda surprised me with some of the different genres, but I think I prefer her rock stuff best. I'm not sure if I liked it more than her last album which I loved at first listen. Like it felt pretty long at first, but it's grown on me a lot. My favorite songs are Ego, Lonely is the Muse, Dog Years, Darwinism, Panic Attack and the Great Impersonator. I also like Life of the Spider and Only Living Girl in LA. What about you? What were your favorites? I will listen to Gracies deluxe next week.

So Grammy nominations just came out and it's hard to predict who will win cuz there's so many good albums this year. I think they will probably spread the awards out honestly but idk who will win album of the year. It's very hard cuz they're all deserving in different ways. I think Beyonce will only win in country categories though. I think maybe record of the year to Birds of a feather or Espresso probably, but I'm happy for anyone and not that invested with who will or should win since I like it all.

I think I will do some reading today so maybe I'll read more of Intermezzo. What you said about it makes sense so it will probably be a slow read for me too. I also read some more of Book Lovers recently and I'm pretty sure it's my favorite so far as well. I saw someone kinda compare the new book plot to be more similar to something like Evelyn Hugo and that could be interesting as another element to make it different. My sister also said it seemed less like a romance to her and that might be possible too but idk. Also I was the one who asked you about Lessons in Chemistry so maybe I'll start that today and can tell you what I think lol. I also was able to get A Love Song For Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams. I never finished Seven Days in June so I'm hoping I can get back to that too and read them together. I can't remember if you read that one or not but I was liking it mostly until I forgot about it. I hope you're doing as good as you can be and taking care of yourself and I hope you have a great weekend! 🩷🩷🩷

one of my friends from college is in new york right now and she's seeing death becomes her tomorrow night i'm sooooo! i haven't had a chance to look up reviews yet, but i think most reviewers liked it? it looks so good, i really hope i'm able to plan a trip in the spring (or maybe early summer?) to go see it + gypsy + maybe happy ending. i really want to see maybe happy ending, it looks so good and everything i've heard about it sounds so intriguing!

i really liked little shop! i actually listened to a bootleg with joy and borle from when joy woods was in it! suddenly seymour was one of the few songs from it that i already knew and really loved, but i also liked somewhere that's green, grow for me, and skid row!! and yes! i saw wicked on the 10th (front row!! thank you wicked lotto), and then on tuesday, and then i'm going to see it again tomorrow! very exciting! and then the movie next week — lots of wicked over here! have you seen the movie yet? i'm excited to see it, it looks like a lot of people really really love it. i hope you get to go see kimberly akimbo; i'm so bummed i'll be in san francisco/san jose when it's here in seattle :(

i did! i saw sabrina's tour earlier this month too and it was so fun! i was actually in the er the day before so i wasn't sure if i'd end up going to short n' sweet but i'm so glad i went! and we got mamma mia as the spin the bottle song! i screamed when i realized. i think i was happier to hear it than i was most of the songs on the setlist just because i loveeee mamma mia.

and i haven't! i have not actually been listening to new music (or even music in general) lately :( i loveeeed the new halsey, i don't think i have a favorite though! did you listen to the gracie deluxe yet? i think overall TSOU misses the mark for me, unfortunately, but there are a handful of songs that i do really like/listen to a lot (packing it up is one of them).

looking at grammy noms again and i think i would like either: cowboy carter, hit me hard and soft, or midwest princess to win for album of the year. and i would loveeee chappell or sabrina to win for best new artist. and i would also love if either birds or espresso or texas hold 'em or good luck babe won record!

how is your reading going? i opened and closed a book yesterday after reading two pages, so i'm real proud of that. that's all i have to say unfortunately </3 we'll see if i ever finish it.

[pyromaniacbibliophile]

Wrote this the other day inspired by the picture, thought i might share it. Story below the picture

He takes a last look around. Maybe he could come back in the daytime? He swallows, and cautiously steps forward. The gates make an alarming creak as they swing open. His footsteps rustle the leaves on the ground, somehow dry despite the mist and rain of the last week. Something in the back of his head is screaming at him, but he pushes it back. 

Slowly, he moves forwards- Bang! He whips around to see the iron gates are now shut. ‘Just the wind’ he reassures himself. ‘Just the wind…’ 

It seems far too dark here, the shadows crawling over the ground and playing over his feet. There is the occasional whisper of moonlight from behind the misty sky, but otherwise it is as black as midnight. “H-hello? I-I was told to meet someone here?” All at once, everything falls silent. If he had thought it quiet earlier, it was nothing compared to now. Nothing rustles in the trees, no cars growl from outside the gates, no birds call, no wind blows.

Suddenly, there is a howl of laughter that echoes around him. He jumps and barely manages to keep himself from screaming. His eyes begin to accumulate to the dark and he spots two amber eyes glinting from a branch; ragged black and white feathers shine with some hidden light. He breathes. A magpie, nothing to worry about. Nothing at all. He looks around, searching for some sign of life, when his eyes catch on a tree. Almost involuntarily, he takes a few steps towards it. Closer and closer, until he notices what looks like writing. It’s still too dark to see, so he takes another few steps. The writing blurrily resolves itself into words. Well, one word, carved deep into the bark in cursive handwriting. The word ‘Help’.

A shiver dances up his spine and he backs away, wildly nervous all of a sudden. He pauses and somehow he sees very clearly. The tree is covered in the word ‘help’, carved a thousand times in a thousand different hands. 

That’s it, he’s done. It’s definitely time to leave, he thinks. Turning on his heel, he looks for the gates. They are not there. There’s a taste like blood in his mouth as he frantically scans the forest in vain. His heart pounds in his ears as he realises: the gates are gone. 

He feels like he’s on the edge of a cliff. There are two choices here, neither are good. Jump, or be pushed. The cat-call of a jackdaw pushes him and he runs. 

An animalian fervour fills his body as he tears through brambles and trees, ducking low branches and jumping over roots in a panicked frenzy. Everything is wiped from his mind; all, apart from one thought. Get out. His legs are burning and it’s harder and harder to breathe as he charges through the forest in desperation. 

Owls call to each other in low, taunting hoots; twigs crack to both sides of him; neither breaks his concentration. He thinks that this must be how prey feels, being chased by predators. Faster and faster he runs, faster and faster until he skids and stops. Relief thrums through his mind as he sees the gate ahead. His breathing seems unnaturally loud as he walks quickly through the clearing. He feels silly now, he must have run in a circle to be back here. Already, he’s imagining driving home and laughing with his roommate about it. 

The ravens sitting on a tree branch look at each other. Wondering how long it will take this human to realise. Waiting for the moment of shock. Oh, there it is. He sees the flaking wood of the gate and his breath flies from his chest. They cackle madly as the man turns and screams. Beating their wings, they take to the sky as blood begins to stain the ground.

No-one is at the iron gates as, slowly but surely, one more ‘help’ is carved into the tree.

[tartt9]

Jamie had been a wreck. Ask anyone who knows him - he hadn't behaved like that in a long time - maybe ever. Jamie could tell them honestly that the last time he'd been that nervous was when he was waiting for his call up from the Elite Squad to City proper. When he knew he was up for the promotion, up for an opportunity of a lifetime. There had been international breaks since Jamie had joined AFC Richmond (multiple, in fact), but there had not been one that he was this confident about ever before.

He knows it sounds like a contradiction; his confidence about the call up leading to him being incredibly nervous about it, but he can't help it. Sometimes, Jamie doesn't believe he'll get the things he knows he deserves. And, when he has gotten good things in the past, it's never felt right, never felt earned, never been something good enough.

When he got his call up for City, the only thing his father told him was that his number wasn't small enough - that he'd work his way down to the 9. When he relegated Richmond, it was my son doesn't pass the ball. When he made his Wembley debut with Richmond for the FA Cup semifinals, they lost 5-0 to City, and he punched his father in the face in the dressing room. When they got promoted, there wasn't even a text (of which Jamie was grateful. He got to enjoy the promotion with his teammates, but he wanted to prove to his father that he was worth something, that Jamie was good enough, despite the fact that, deep in his mind, he knew he never would be good enough for the man who gave him his name).

With this international break, Jamie knew he was good enough. Richmond had had a hell of a season, and were on a hell of a run, even without Zava. Especially without Zava. Bumber got his call for Switzerland while everyone was in the dressing room together, right after training had wrapped for the day, when they were all out of the showers and getting ready to go home. Dani had gotten his when he and Jamie were sitting on the couch playing FIFA together (Jamie had scored 3 on his virtual Guadalajara with Jamie's virtual PSG - for he would never play with City or United in FIFA, you couldn't make him - in the time it took Dani to speak in rapid Spanish to whomever was on the other end of the line). And Jamie knew. Jamie knew he was good enough. But night after night came, and no call.

Jamie had started leaving his phone off of silent, just in case he missed the call because of vibrations. Every time he got a text, it made him jump. One night, he'd even called Roy well past both of their bedtimes, just to ask if he thought Jamie would get the call. Roy's World Cup matches were some of the best matches Jamie had ever seen him play, and maybe he just wanted some reassuring words from his coach, his friend, the man he worshipped growing up. It was pathetic, he could hear his father's voice whispering in his ear. Waiting by the phone like a little bitch. But Jamie kept waiting.

When it rang, Jamie was out on a run. He couldn't just stand around his house anymore, even though they'd just gotten out of training that day, even though he'd had his regular 4 AM training with Roy, he still had energy to burn, anxiousness to run off. So, when his phone started ringing, Jamie didn't recognize the noise coming through his AirPods at first. He hadn't heard his ringtone... literally ever. This phone was newer than his call up to City, and he hadn't had it unsilenced since then. It took about three extra strides before Jamie realized. Oh. Oh.

He immediately skidded to a stop (could hear Roy's voice in his ears, telling him that that was bad for his muscles or whatever, but whatever, his muscles could cool down later). Dipping to the nearest bench, the noises of Richmond around him, Jamie tugged his phone out of his bag, quickly answering it.

Hello, Jamie, he hears the voice of Southgate for the first time in his life. Jamie wants to yell, wants to scream, wants to jump around, wants to fucking kiss someone. But, instead, he just nods, legs bouncing like springs, phone clutched between his hands, AirPods playing the crisp voice in his ears. He hears it all. But the most important thing was the congratulations. Was the you'll be playing for England next weekend. And all Jamie can say is, "Thank you, Coach. Thank you so much." He bites back a holy shit, a fuck me, anything that would sound less than totally professional. "I'm gonna play the hardest I've ever played, total dedication, swear down."

As soon as he hangs up the phone, he does yell. He yells, and he laughs, and he can feel tears in his eyes, because he fucking did it. He was good enough for England, good enough for that massive world stage. Finally, he repeats an action he's only done once before, on the pitch at Wembley for the first time, as his teammates filed back inside - he leans back, chest pushed out, head thrown back, and screams, "Richmond!"

After far too long laughing, and crying, and jumping around, and Jamie thinks he kissed an old woman on the head, but he can't remember, he's got his phone in his trembling hands, and sends four texts. Isaac, Dani, Ted, and Roy. And they all say the same two words. Got it.

[khalilhassan]

The comfort that was shared between the two of them, despite being practically strangers, was new to the federal agent who'd spent most of his life avoiding any form of attachment. The curve of his mouth and the low hums of breathy laugher in between shared conversation had taken him by surprise the few times at the coffee shop. "Is there such thing as wandering too much?"

If so, perhaps he'd maxed out too. Having jumped from state to state, field office to field office, just to remain on top. To prove that regardless of how lonely of a life he'd led, that every move and mistake had been worth it. A question that he'd yet to fully answer in a way that didn't make his heart bottom out every single time it crossed his mind.

"I am," he nodded, a smile creeping onto his mouth as a nervous hum of deep belly skidded off his tongue. He leaned into the back of his chair, finding comfort in the support it offered. Tipping his chin upwards, the agent reached for his glass of water and raised it towards the other in understanding before he brought it to his lips for a quick drink. "Ah, the bag holder and arm offering." Perhaps he should have done the same, considering the heartbreaks he'd left in his wake. "Well, who needs a date when you've got a perfectly good stranger to converse with anyway. Plus, I don't have a bag for you to hold and I'll only need your arm if I go for mimosas. Are you from around here?"

@jesseelmassalamy

“Most people would say I’ve wandered too much.” The barista’s gaze followed where the other’s had traveled to, and it was an easy guess that one of the women at the table, aside from the two brides, was his. Sara was around somewhere, though thankfully Jesse was more than acquainted with being all on his own. Throughout his grieving and bouncing from country to country that had been his objective, to drink until there was nothing left.

For some reason neither happened. He’d had company throughout most of the painful journey, and the drinking had eventually landed him in rehab rather than where he’d been aiming for. 

“Are you gonna ask the same?” A smirk shaped his expression, though it was fleeting as he watched happy people off I the near distance enjoy what was certainly worthy of a celebration. The last wedding the Bostonian had attended was his own. Many, many, many years ago. Now nothing but a faint memory of a life he’d lost touch with. “I don’t have a date, per se. My track record is pretty awful so I’m doing my best to spare the women of Providence Peak. I’m just a plus one, a bag holder, an arm…” / @khalilhassan

[theewritingroomm]

A Friendly Favor

Summary: Eddie wants your help asking Chrissy out. Unaware that you have feelings for your best friend.  Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader (platonic), mentions of Eddie Munson x Chrissy Cunningham Word Count: 612 A/N: Hella short and kinda angsty drabble. Let me know if y’all want more or a second part. 

I do NOT consent to my work being translated or published onto third party sites - including AO3 and Wattpad. 

Eddie ran into Family Video where you and Robin were busy stocking the shelves before the afternoon rush. The young man, once through the door, made a quick beline for you. He skidded to a stop next to you, nearly falling into the display you had painstakingly put together and sending it to the floor. You sent Eddie a quick glare which did little to wipe the smile from his face. 

“How is my favorite Family Video employee?” He asked. 

From across the store Steve Harrington yelled out a quick “Dude”. Eddie and you laughed at this. 

“Busy Eds.” You rescinded, moving to the next display. 

But despite the workload you were currently suffering through, the mere presence of your best friend was already doing wonders for your mood. 

“Well I just thought you would want to know who I just spent most of the afternoon with.” 

“Ozzy,” you teased. 

At the teasing tone in your voice Eddie placed a quick flick to your shoulder. He rolled his eyes and chuckled. 

“I fuckin’ wish,” Eddie placed his hands on your shoulders. “But no, I spent all afternoon with Chrissy Cunningham. And she’s so…” 

At the mention of her name you tuned out the rest of what your best friend was saying. Chrissy was everything you were not. She was popular and nice whereas you were looped in with the “freaks” and spoke your mind too much for your small town. She was pretty and knew it while you often stuck to shirts you had stolen from Eddie. There were no two people more different in the town of Hawkins. It was no wonder that she had caught the attention of Eddie Munson. 

That much was obvious by the dreamy look in Eddie’s eyes. 

Your heart clenched within your chest. A plethora of emotions running through your mind. But you willed them all down. Wanting to hide the pain that flooded your veins from your best friend. 

“That’s awesome Eds,” you plastered a smile on your face. “How was it?” 

Eddie sighed gently, a small smile pulling at the edge of his lips. “It was amazing. She so nice and so fucking funny. Like, I think I may like her.” 

Your heart plummeted. 

“Really?” you asked, hoping that Eddie couldn’t pick up on the faux joy lacing your words. 

“Yeah, but I really need your help Y/N.” Eddie fiddled with his rings. Nervous that you were going to say no. “I don’t know how to ask her out without being a complete idiot.” 

You took in a shallow breath. Hoping that it would stop your heart from racing right out of your chest. 

“I’ll stop by after work. We’ll come up with a killer plan.” You shook his hands off of your shoulders. “There's no way in hell she’ll be able to say no.” 

Eddie threw his hands in the air. Wide, goofy smile took over his face as he laughed. “You’re the fuckin’ best Y/N!.” 

Eddie ruffled your hair quickly before practically skipping out of the store. You watched him dumbfounded until he was climbing into his van and driving away. 

Robin peeked her head around the display. From there she was able to take in the pain maring your features. The way your mouth hung open slightly in shock. The way your eyebrows were pulled together, seemingly questioning what had just happened. And finally the way your arms wrapped around your stomach in an attempt to comfort yourself. 

“He doesn’t know that you’re in love with him, does he?” Robin asked, her gentle voice barely penetrating the roaring thoughts in your brain. 

You simply shook your head in response.